Review: Godsmack — 1000hp

Rated:

4/5

It’s been four years since Godsmack released ‘The Oracle,’ their most recent studio album. Which isn’t exactly an eternity, but when taken into account that their album prior to that, ‘IV,’ was separated by another four year gap, it starts to feel like new music from the Boston-area bruisers doesn’t come too often. This makes the arrival of ’1000hp,’ their new effort and sixth overall, seem almost like the reemergence of an old, familiar acquaintance.

And indeed, the band, led by tattooed spark plug Sully Erna, seem to belong almost to another musical era. Their grunting, stripped-bare riffs and straightforward rhythms, not to mention Erna’s unadorned blue-collar yawp, harken back to a time before, say, metal fans used words like deathcore or djent. Which is not to say that ’1000hp’ sounds musty. In fact, in this scattered and splintered musical age, it more often comes off as surprisingly fresh and vibrant.

This point is driven home by the sheer godsmackiness of the new album’s title track, a raging hard rocker that kicks off ’1000hp’ in appropriate fashion: a motorcycle engine roars, drummer Shannon Larkin whips up a shit-kicking, four-on-the-floor beat, and guitarist Tony Rombola and bassist Robbie Merrill lock in on a practically one-note groove-rock riff. Erna’s vocals tell the band’s origin story (“Time to rewind/Back to 1995”), leading to an explosive chorus that hinges on the lyric, “Turn that shit up louder!”—a phrase that will be no doubt shouted by thousands of fans each night during Godsmack’s headlining sets on this year’s Uproar Festival tour.

In tone and delivery, “1000hp” is up there with defining Godsmack tunes like “Whatever” and “Keep Away” in terms of demonstrating how the band skillfully molds gripping and anthemic hard rock out of the simplest of musical ingredients. The song’s power is matched by new album cuts like “FML,” “Locked & Loaded” and “What’s Next.”

Which is not to say that ’1000hp’ is straightforward to a fault. To the contrary, Godsmack push their boundaries on several cuts. “Nothing Comes Easy” features a recurring instrumental hook that, with its haunting guitar drones and overall evocative vibe, sounds like the work of an ’80s goth-rock act. And then there’s “Something Different,” which, true to its name, offers up a slightly more nuanced take on the traditional Godsmack sound, with a verse built on a gentle, undulating Rombola riff and a reserved Erna vocal giving way to a chorus that takes an unexpected turn from a minor to a major key. For good measure, there’s also a cello solo at the song’s mid-point.

But ’1000hp’’s best track might be its final one—the unabashed cock-rocker “Life is Good,” which rides a metalized Aerosmith-style funk-rock riff into a chorus in which Erna commands his audience to “Hold your fists up high/And turn your fingers to the sky.” It’s a fitting sentiment from a band that, over the course of almost 20 years—and despite rapidly changing trends and an ever-shifting musical landscape—continues to just do what they do, and to ridiculously successful ends. With ’1000hp,’ Godsmack offer up a few new sounds, while at the same time remaining firmly resolute in their musical mission. Now turn that shit up louder. RICHARD BIENSTOCK

Godsmack isn’t metal and never was. They are a good hard rock band. Sully even say they aren’t metal. This song sounds like the same over produced crap like on the last 2 albums. With that said, they are still the best rock band out there today.

Logan Moll

Bands like to label themselves as all kinds of things that they aren’t actually. They’ve always skated the line between hard rock and Nu Metal. The latter of which certainly not being a positive label to be associated with.

xpmule

uhh what ?
listened to any of their earlier material ?

Dustin

You obviously haven’t ever listened to Alter Bridge!

Soshe Opath

If you have real taste in music it probably isn’t for you. If you are a twentysomething and still young and dumb you may enjoy it. Then you will grow up and realize what it is and feel ashamed or stupid.

xpmule

what i figured.. i skipped to the last part and i thought oh jeez lol
same old metal core angst
they started out ok but went down hill fast and never started climbing back up.
popularity killed them.. they will only get worse i think.
inflated ego’s and arena rock crap ala, Machine Head
another band that started out great and went to hell.

the fanbase of these guys is what you said too i know this for a fact !

i just came to check and make sure they still sucked lol
although some people like sucky music so have at ‘er

SkullScience

I am not a huge fan of Godsmack but this statement is one of the most pretentious and self-important I have ever read… ok, assuming that you are one of those with “real taste in music” can you tell me what you define as real music, something you would not be “ashamed or stupid” to listen to. What band would tick the box so to speak or are you simply dismissive of the entire genre? I suspect you have neither composed nor played an instrument in your life.

After listening to the sample track Generation Day I can honestly say, though not amazing, I have heard much worse.

susan

Im 30. Sorry I dont like dubstep shit. Im a metalhead for life and this is there best album yet. Fuck yeah. Haters can go listen to bieber.

dconfrost

Being a huge Godsmack fan and bearing a huge sentiment to pretty much all their previous albums, I have to admit, I’ve found the new one terribly bland. Listening to the album feels like listening to the same song on loop with slightly varying choruses… I don’t feel like listening to it again…